The Darkest Shadows
by MaximumSimplicity
Summary: When Shada's mother is killed by a monsterous pokemon, she sets out to avenge the death. On the way, she meets other pokemon, and they band together to defeat the dark pokemon.
1. Chapter 1

The Darkest Shadows

Chapter One

Shada buried her face into her mother's fur. She breathed in her scent- a piney smell, from the woods they lived in. Tears streamed down her face. _Why?_ she wondered._ Why did this happen. Why did they come?_

"_Shada! RUN!" her mother roared as the huge tyranitar charged towards the zoroark. Shada was too afraid to move. Tears of fear welled in her eyes. Her legs didn't seem to move. The zoroark looked over her shoulder. "RUN!" she howled once again, then turned to face the monster._

_The small zorua finally seemed to regain control of her body. She turned and bolted into the undergrowth. When she was deep enough to be protected, she turned around and looked out from the ferns. The tyranitar had reached her mother. It roared and reached out a hand, then swiped the zoroark across the face, scarlet droplets splattering from the three large gashes left by the beast's claws. Shada gasped and struggled to swallow the lump rising in her throat. _No…_ she whimpered in her head._

_The zoroark snarled and glared at the tyranitar, an uncontrollable wildfire burning in her eyes. She leaped forward at the dinosaur, but it only shoved her away. As she tumbled onto the ground, the tyranitar stepped up to her. She gritted her teeth and got to her feet. As she prepared to launch a shadow ball at the monster, the tyranitar swiped its claws at her with immense force. She flew back and smashed into a rock, leaving blood splatters on the smooth gray surface. She fell to the ground and lay motionless. _Please, get up!_ Shada silently pleaded. _Please!

_She could only watch in horror as the tyranitar stomped up to where her mother lay. It picked the barely conscious pokemon up and pinned her against a tree with one hand and prepared to swipe her in the face with a powerful blow with the other hand. The zoroark managed to look the tyranitar in the eyes with her blue stare before all she could see was blood filling her eyes. _

_Shada could watch no longer. She whimpered and buried her face in her paws. _

_She didn't look up until the pained howls of her mother and the vicious roars of the tyranitar had ceased. She looked around and saw nothing in sight but a pile of red and black fur. She gulped and crept out from the ferns. A pool of blood surrounded her mother, and she was bleeding from her stomach, her chest, her sides, her face, and her neck. "M-mother?" she whimpered. "Please, wake up."_

_But she knew that her mother would never wake up. She knew she was gone. _

The warmth began to fade from her mother's body. The zorua buried her face deeper into the soft fur. It all happened so fast. One moment they were playing in the forest clearing, the next, the green pokemon showed up and ended it. Ended it all. Ended their games, ended their happiness, and ended her life.

The zorua eventually fell asleep, her mind haunted by what had just happened.

She awoke dazed, not rested at all. She felt more tired than before. At first, she had no idea where she was. All of it felt like a dream. Then she looked down, and saw the body, the wounds, the blood on both of their fur. Tears rolled down her eyes. She wanted to die with her mother. She wanted to find the tyranitar and demand it to kill her. But there was something she oddly longed more than that. Revenge. She knew she had to avenge her mother's death, but how. She was no match for that monster. She never would be either. But she knew that somehow, she had to find a way. She was determined. Someone had to pay for this.

As much as she didn't want to, Shada stood up. She took one final look at her mother's body as tears streamed down her face, took a deep breath, then turned and walked away.

She walked in a random direction, with no idea where she was going. She had tried to find the tyranitar's scent, but it was impossible.

She walked through the forest, stepping on fallen pine needles and braches as she went.

Eventually, she stepped into an open area, bright sunlight shining down on her. She had never left the forest in her life. The outside world was so strange. So alien. She longed to dart back the way she came and curl up next to her mother, but she knew that would get her no where. She took a step forward, then another, flinching at the strange, warm feeling on the grass which sunlight beat down on almost everyday. She pushed herself onward. Ahead she could see tall gray mountains that reached for the cloud-flecked blue sky. But they were far, far away. Something about those mountains called to her though. That something pushed her onward. She knew she had to go the mountains. Something was lying in wait there.

She would go to those mountains, and eventually avenge her mother, even if it was the very last thing she did.

Dusk was thrown to the ground, dazed, his eyes wide with fear. He turned his gaze to look behind him. The houndoom took another step forward. He squeezed his eyes shut, prepared for the pain. _Just get it over with…_ he pleaded. He could feel the houndoom's warm breath on his back.

"Nightshadow! That's enough! I think the pup's learned his lesson!" called a voice. The houndoom snarled in annoyance. It then leaned down and whispered in the poochyana's ear. "Listen _kid,_" he snarled. "You may have been lucky this time, but next time you trespass, you won't be allowed to escape."

The poochyana immediately scurried to his feet and darted out of the camp, leaving behind a huge chunk of meat, which he tried to steal.

Dusk didn't stop running until he was far away from the houndoom pack's camp. He stopped and caught his breath. His stomach growled and he placed a paw on it. "I'm so hungry…" he moaned, plopping to the ground.

He would've never been in this condition if his parent's hadn't been killed by that hunter. Why did that hunter have to come with his long metal stick? His life had changed drastically. He was all alone, with no one to hunt for him, no one to provide him warmth and shelter, no one to care for him. He was hyper and fearless with his parents around. Now he felt as if he was cornered in a dark alley with dozens of vicious pokemon ready to rip him to shreds. He whimpered sadly and found a hollow in a tree trunk. He curled up inside of it, laying on a bed of damp, musty dead leaves. There was no warmth at all.

Outside it began to rain. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Dusk rested his head on his paws and tried to sleep, but even though he was tired enough to sleep for a week, he couldn't. It seemed impossible for some reason. Was it because he felt so alone? He didn't know. He listened to the rhythm of the rain outside, and the distant roar of the thunder.

Eventually, he couldn't go any longer. He slowly drifted into darkness.

Dusk awoke to bright sunlight shining into the hollow in the tree trunk. He blinked several times, then stood up and stretched. His stomach roared. He padded out of the hollow and looked around.

The meadow was filled with the chirping of birds and the chattering of ferrets and patrats. The grass was wet from the previous night's storm, and droplets of water gathered on his paws.

Dusk sniffed the air, hoping that he could find easy prey. He scented a tailow, an injured one. He padded towards the scent.

He found it laying in a patch of tall grass, with a broken wing. He sniffed it, making sure it wasn't sick. He sighed, staring at the bird. He had never killed anything before, well, except maybe beetles or ants that crawled on his food, but other than that, no. Taking a deep breath, he raised a forepaw and aimed it at the bird's neck. Closing his eyes, he dealt a powerful blow to the poor tailow. It let out a final, pain filled squawk, then lay motionless beneath him.

Opening his eyes, Dusk smiled. He was proud of himself, for killing his first prey, even if it wasn't a challenging kill. He picked the dead bird up by a wing and dragged it back to the hollow in the tree trunk, where he curled up and ate it.

It didn't take him long to finish it. He devoured it quickly, leaving no scraps of meat behind. Dusk stood up and licked his chops, then padded out of the hollow, feeling refreshed.

He looked around the meadow, watched furrets and pachirisus scurry up the trunks of the trees that were scattered around the land. He looked back into a large clump of trees, the entrance to a forest. He padded towards it.

When he was a few yards away from the trees, he saw a human walk out of the forest. At his side were a growlithe and a houndour, and under his arm, was a large metal stick that stank of smoke. He sniffed the air, and froze.

It was the same hunter who killed his parents.

He turned and ran in a random direction.

BOOM!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The absol roared angrily as he reared up and slashed the pidgeotto on the side. The bird cawed in pain as veered towards the ground. It tumbled in the dust, dropping the shiny green stone it clutched in its talons, and lay still, dazed, its side bleeding badly. The absol charged towards where it lay and stopped in front of it, raising a paw over its head. "Retreat now Redfeather, or die a horrible death. Face it, you're no match for me."

The pidgeotto chuckled. "Switchblade, did you actually think I'd come here alone?"

Switchblade snarled. "What do you mean?"

Redfeather cawed loudly, and the absol winced. Several cries responded to Redfeather's.

Redfeather grinned and Switchblade looked up, only to be bombarded by a pidgy and a pidgeot. He roared in pain as the slashed at his face and side with their talons. He struggled to shake them off, but all in vain. He swiped at them with his claws, managing to claw the pidgy off and send it rolling in the dust. The pidgeot couldn't be clawed off though. It was perched on Switchblade's back.

The absol reared up with a mighty roar, hoping the pidgeot would fall off of him.

The bird cawed in surprise and struggled to keep a grip with its claws, but gravity pulled it down faster than it could grab on.

Just as two birds were shaken off, two more seemed to attack. This time, two female pidgeottos soared towards him. One clawed at his face, causing blood to blur his vision. The other pulled at his neck with her beak, blood seeping from deep wounds.

Switchblade dropped to the ground and rolled over, crushing the pidgeotto on his neck. He stood up and shook his head furiously, the young female pidgeotto struggling to maintain her grip, but failed.

She fell to the ground and Switchblade sliced her stomach open with his long claws. But three pidgeots leaped on top of him a heartbeat later, and he fell to the ground.

They pecked and clawed at him until it was nearly impossible to tell whether his fur was white or red.

Then a loud screech rang through the air. It said, "Sky Fire Clan, retreat!"

The pidgeots leapt off of him, and the other birds looked up at Redfeather, who held an emerald and pearl necklace in his beak. Most of the birds had rare valuables or food clutched in their beaks of claws, and the others were prepared to fight the absol if needed, but now they flew off, following Redfeather.

Switchblade lifted his head to watch them fly off. _Those thieves…_

He sighed and plopped his head back down. His body hurt everywhere. He tried to stand up, but immediately fell back to the ground.

He struggled to crawl over the small indent in a rock where he stored his herbs and berries. He clawed through them until he found a small light green leaf with a white tip. It smelled minty and refreshing. He popped it in his mouth and chewed it up until it was nothing but a pulp. He spat it out and pulled out an Oran berry. Picking up a stone, he crushed the blue berry to a pulp, and then mixed it in with the pulp of the green leaf. He licked at the mixture; it's fresh, minty taste reviving him. Not long after, he felt his strength coming back. His wounds still hurt badly, and were seeping blood, but that would stop sooner or later.

When he was strong enough to walk, he padded over to where his rare artifacts, treasures, and valuables, which he collected and traded, were stored. Nothing was left but broken amethyst arbok figure and the sapphire, ruby, and emerald beads of a broken necklace. He sighed and speared a yellow feather with his claw. Bringing it closer to his eyes, he examined it. Then, his claws began glowing a deep purple, and the feather incinerated.

There was a loud growl, which startled Switchblade. He looked around, but saw nothing. There it was again. He looked down and realized it was his stomach. Sighing, he stood up and padded over to the indent in another rock where he kept his food. Nothing but a few lum-berry-bread crumbs, a furret leg bone, and some enigma berries. "Drat…" he snarled angirly. He was in no shape to hunt, and a couple of berries wouldn't fill him up. He sighed and plopped down on the ground, wondering what to do now.

Ilani nudged her older brother happily. "Nightres, will you tell me a story?" she asked. Nightres smiled. "Okay Ilani," he said, wrapping an arm around the Latias's neck, and she yawned.

"Yay!" Ilani whinnied happily, looking up at the Latios. "Which one are you gonna tell this time?"

"Hmmm, how about the legand of Keldeo?"

"Oh great! I love this one!" said Ilani, curling up next to her brother and listening to his story.

The Latios hardly finished his story before his sister was sleeping happily. The Latias loved going to sleep listening to her brother's stories, and the Latios loved telling them to her, even if he didn't always get to finish them.

Nightres smiled and curled up next to his sister, listening to her quiet snoring. Eventually, he too, fell asleep.

Ilani awoke in the middle of the night, to find that she was all alone. "N-Nightres?" she whispered.

No reply.

"Nightres? Nightres where are you?"

Still no reply.

She closed her eyes, sighed, and concentrated hard. Then, there was a bright flash, and she found herself in a cage in a dark chamber with a huge nidoking standing in front of the cage, his back to her. But it wasn't her…

It was Latios.

What happened to her brother!

Her vision blurred, then suddenly went black.

Ilani's eyes flew open. Her brother was in trouble! But what had happened to him? And if someone took him, why didn't they take her?


End file.
